Looking Back: The Rangers Series

I still get depressed when I think about the 2010 ALCS. The Yankees were two wins away from the World Series but just couldn't get it done. The fact that they got it done this past weekend against the Rangers is little consolation, but I'll take it.

Highlights

1. Freddy Garcia gave the Yankees a much-needed six scoreless innings in the second game. Doing this after not having pitched in 18 days was pretty good. Doing it against the Texas Rangers, an offensive powerhouse, was downright impressive.

2. Lance Pendleton made his Major League debut in the first game, retiring all six batters he faced. Could we have another Aaron Small on our hands?

3. The home runs just keep on coming. Mark Teixeira (1), Robinson Cano (2), Russell Martin (1) and Curtis Granderson (1) all homered in this series. That's 24 in total so far for the team.

4. Eric Chavez continued to make Brian Cashman look like a genius, getting the winning hit in the final game. In fact, most of Cashman's acquisitions over the winter (Chavez, Garcia, Martin) are making him look pretty good right now.

Lowlights1. Ivan Nova has reverted back to his 2010 form. He couldn't get out of the 5th inning in the first game.

2. Speaking of the 5th inning in the first game, it was a total disaster, with walks, wild pitches and hit batsmen the order of the day. It was very painful to watch.

3. Rafael Soriano had a very shaky second game, giving up two runs in the eighth, almost wiping away Freddy Garcia's great start. Soriano and Joe Girardi blamed the outing on the cold weather. Cold weather? Heard of October, Sori?

Looking AheadThe Yankees have two off days this week, today and Thursday. Two? What is that about?

Anyway, the Toronto Blue Jays are the next oponent. The Jays always play the Yankees hard and these two games scheduled against the Yankees won't be any different. Look for two very intense days north of the border.